The Support for Kids and Youth (SKY) Club is an educational tutoring & mentorship program that supports Grades 1—12 newcomer students with their academic work and builds community connections. Program is limited to (60) students at a time.
Many newcomer children that arrive in Canada often lag in school for many reasons, such as challenges learning another language, not feeling a sense of belonging or connection to the community, overcoming the trauma experienced before and during their migration to Canada and other reasons.
In 2007, the Support for Kids and Youth (SKY) Club program was created by a group of Sudanese parents who wanted to provide some extra after-school support for their children and some social supports needed for full integration and academic success.
Since 2007, SKY Club has evolved and grown into a vibrantly inclusive and culturally-infused program supported by the Newcomer Centre and the University of Alberta’s Community Service Learning Program and Undergraduate Research Initiative to help prepare the participants for better life choices and help them succeed in society.
Participant Benefits
The SKY Club program offers many benefits for newcomer students, such as:
- Provides academic support to improve performance and grades.
- Offers a positive, structured and safe space to study, converse with peers and get to know each other better.
- Provides space to develop and practice social skills.
- Provides activities in a caring environment where everyone feels valued and safe.
- Offers some community experience field trips.
- Shared knowledge and fun while building healthy relationships based on self-respect with other students and volunteers from different cultural backgrounds.
- And more.
How the Program Works
- Registration required – all participants must register by fully completing forms and having their parent or guardian sign off.
- Program typically held in-person at Gupta Newcomer Resource Centre (11713 82 ST NW)
- Held on Saturdays from 10 am – 2 pm — except on long weekends.Â
- Held from September to June each year
- Includes academic supports and a variety of activities, games and workshops.
Program Eligibility
- Any immigrant student from Grades 1 – 12 is eligible to register and participate.
- Must commit to participate every Saturday during the September to June school year.
- Maximum of (60) students can participate, so any participant who does not follow instructions or do their best, shall become ineligible after more than two attempts are made to ensure their participation. Then their position will go to another child on the waitlist.
How to Access Program
To find out more about the SKY Club program, please:
- View the brochure
- View the flyer
- Email SKYClubTeam@newcomercentre.com
- Call 780-424-7709
Or register using our form (click here) or use this QR Code:
Program Funded By
